Today CNN Announces Coverage for World Autism Awareness Day

[Guest guest]

Just got this from my friend at CNN:

For Release: March 14, 2008

CNN Announces Global Coverage for First World Autism Awareness Day

Multiplatform Effort Will Report on Science, Intervention and

Resources for Parents on Wednesday, April 2

CNN will use its unparalleled newsgathering resources to report on

the global impact and latest science of the developmental syndrome of

autism for the first " World Autism Awareness Day. " Online as well as

on CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN en Español and Headline News, CNN

will report on medical insights, information on treatments and

intervention, and details about services available for those living

with autism for the inaugural international awareness day on

Wednesday, April 2.

On CNN/U.S., chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will report

on a range of issues related to autism spectrum disorder beginning on

CNN's American Morning at 6 a.m. through 360°.

Worldwide, it is estimated that as many as 35 million people have

autism and face considerable challenges and often discrimination. In

November 2007, the United Nations declared that April 2 would be an

annual day to " encourage Member States to take measures to raise

awareness about children with autism throughout society. "

" Bringing awareness and information to viewers and online users

globally on topics of urgency and importance, like autism, is exactly

what CNN does best, " said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. " And

Sanjay Gupta as our daylong guide for our reporting on this issue is

a real differentiator for CNN. It will give depth to our reporting

that no other network can offer. "

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

estimated in 2007 that as many as 1 in 150 8-year-old children in

multiple areas of the United States had an autism spectrum disorder.

Parents must often navigate their own paths to find helpful therapies

and finance expensive education and other services independently.

In anticipation of World Autism Awareness Day, CNN.com will offer

expanded coverage of this mysterious neurological disorder. Viewers

will be able to access news and information including the latest

medical theories and research about autism as well as the stories of

people who live every day with the condition. Through multimedia and

interactive elements, as well as traditional stories and videos,

viewers will be invited to expand their knowledge and understanding

of autism.

Viewers and users are encouraged to share their firsthand accounts of

life with autism through video, photo, audio or text submissions to

www.iReport.com, CNN's recently launched user-generated community Web

site. Autism-related iReports are available at

www.iReport.com/tags/autism; and iReport.com contributors also may

gain recognition by having the material they submit to the site –

once vetted and approved for use – appear on a CNN network or CNN.com.

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On the weekend preceding World Autism Awareness Day, Saturday, March

29, and Sunday, March 30, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay

Gupta will devote the full broadcast of House Call with Dr. Sanjay

Gupta to explain the latest medical thinking regarding early signs of

autism. While most children are diagnosed with autism at about age

two, studies suggest that earlier diagnoses may offer opportunities

for critical behavioral interventions. Gupta will explain warnings

signs that may be observable as early as 6 to 12 months of age, when

early interventions may improve developmental outcomes. House Call

with Dr. Sanjay Gupta airs Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30 a.m. Gupta's

investigation into issues related to insurance coverage and

educational therapies for families living with autism will be

featured on CNN Radio for affiliates. On CNN.com, the " Paging Dr.

Gupta Blog " and " Paging Dr. Gupta " podcast will also feature helpful

information for families on autism.

Also on Saturday, March 29, personal finance editor Gerri Willis will

offer advice for parents on coping with the tremendous costs of

autism for Open House. Open House airs Saturdays at 9:30 a.m.

Preliminary coverage plans for World Autism Awareness Day on

Wednesday, April 2, include:

• American Morning will introduce CNN viewers to triplets –

each with autism at varying severity – born to Lynn and Randy Gaston

in Ellicott City, Md. Additional reports will feature adults living

with autism and distinguish medical myths from realities associated

with a range of therapies and treatments. CNN's American Morning

airs weekdays on CNN/U.S. from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

• On CNN en Español, En Familia, a 30 minute program that

serves as a guide to parents, and Consulta Médica, a 30-minute prime-

time program dedicated to personal health and fitness, will be

focusing on the educational needs of children with autism, and

addressing the latest controversies examining the link between

vaccines and autism spectrum disorder. En Familia airs each Monday

at 11:30 a.m. and Consulta Médica airs each Tuesday on CNN en Español

at 11:30 a.m.

• A one-hour global simulcast special We Have Autism, anchored

by CNN International's Colleen Mc, will air at noon and focus

on the experiences of families living with autism around the world

and feature an interview with Suzanne , the co-founder of

Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization for people and families

living with autism. Mc will also report on people living with

extreme symptoms of autism, with a focus on Tito, a young man who

despite his severe autism, has become a high-functioning poet and

author. CNN international correspondent Wilf Dinnick will report on

Qatar's state-of-the-art Shafallah Centre that assists autistic

children. The nation of Qatar is credited with leading U.N. efforts

to establish World Autism Awareness Day as a day of global

awareness. Also for We Have Autism, international correspondent

Vause will report from China about life with autism under communism.

U.S. affairs editor for CNN International, Jill Dougherty will report

on a family with a child recently diagnosed as autistic as they seek

the best help for their child. We Have Autism will air on CNN/U.S.

and CNN International.

• Actor, author, parent and autism activist McCarthy, as

well as Bobby Kennedy, Jr., senior attorney for the Natural Resources

Defense Council who believes that thimerosal in vaccines is

responsible for autism, will be guests on Larry King Live. Larry

King Live airs weeknights on CNN/U.S. at 9 p.m. and replays at

midnight.

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• " Finding , " a one-hour 360° special,

features a few of the approximately 600,000 American adults who live

with autism. Gupta will introduce viewers to Baggs of

Burlington, Vt., and others, who share with him how they experience

the world – from their perspective. " Finding " will premiere

on CNN/U.S. at 11 p.m. and replay at 2 a.m.

• Showbiz Tonight will feature a report on a groundbreaking

documentary, Autism: The Musical, set to debut on HBO on Tuesday,

March 25. Showbiz Tonight airs on Headline News weeknights at 11

p.m. and replays at 2 a.m.

• CNN Newsource will offer affiliates custom liveshots with

medical correspondent Judy Fortin between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on April

2 about how families with older children living with autism cope with

their challenges. Fortin's package features a Grayson, Ga., family

with a 12-year-old autistic child.

Additional programming focused upon autism will be announced closer

to April 2.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time

Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information.

Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks;

one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices

around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web

sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world's most

extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international

partnerships within both television and the digital media.

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All times Eastern.

CONTACTS:

Dargan Atlanta 404/885-4638

jennifer.dargan@ turner.com

a Puntel Atlanta 404/827-1657

erica.puntel@ turner.com

Bridget Leininger Atlanta

323/993-5171 bridget.leininger@ turner.com

Grant Washington, D.C. 202/515-2920

megan.grant@ turner.com